Haven't done this in about a month....have been busy on Sundays and not watching many games. when i was keeping track of my picks, i wasn't doing so great....something int eh neighborhood of 25-35-2 or some shiat.

At STL -3 Kansas City 42.5

I'd say Rams outright as Cassell is prob not going to play. KC could be a thin cover as the Rams (begin the "the NFC West sucks and has no right to a playoff game, this is bullshiat! chorus) are not a great team.

and especially if Cassell doesn't play, take teh under. The Rams don't score a ton of points, prob averaging about 19-20 (a few times they've gone over 25 (they dropped 36 on the Donkos just weeks ago), but in their losses and some wins it seems like they're hovering in the mid-teens. Under.

At Ten -1.5 Houston 47.5

Houston, for no reason. who's the QB in tennesee? and so much for christ johnson chirping about a 2000 yeard season. yeah, if he can get 800 yards in the next three games....

At Indy -4.5 Jacksonville 48

wow. Can't call it Peyton's Last Stand but if Indy loses today, he'll be on a bahamas cruise in january instead of wearing cleats. Not today, Jax. I say Indy outright. they both allow lots of points but score lots of points; Indy is 4th in scoring (26.7 per game) and Jax is 12th (22.7), take th eover.

I'm gonna say Buffalo....miami's last four offensive outputs are ZER0, 33, 10, and 6. and not that Rough Buff is a juggernaut but henne has sucked like it is job to suck lateley....Rough Buff covers at least. no way the Fins win by 5.

At NYG -3 Philadelphia 47

NYG is decent at home (i have them at 5-2 but don't quoute me) so I'll say NYG outright. Vick has got to go down at some point.and after seeing some of the hits he's taken in games, either Goodell has ordered if not a Code Red, then a Code Amber on vick (and Roethlisberger). How can he consistently take shots that go unsanctioned, when Brady and some of the other QBs get protection from teh refs?

At Dallas -7 Washington 44.5

mmmmm. fun number. Washington is just awful in every facet. i wonder what the temperature of their locker room is right now. mcnabb and hayneswroth and shanahan's hamfisted assertion of power....but are they 7 worse than Dallas? I'll say Dallas wins but Wash covers. i don't see this as a 7 point game, even with Ramsey at QB.

At Tampa Bay -4.5 Detroit 43

There's no reason whatsoever for this line to be this small. Tampa will crush today.

At Baltimore -2.5 New Orleans 43.5

really tired of everyone with Brees' jock in their damn mouth, all because of that stupid picture of him holding up his son in the air farking hell "Lion King" style. I'll take Baltimore mainly because of General December, with the forecast ofr 33 and cloudy. not crazy cold but damn sure ain't no dome.

but at the same time, with ATL facing Seattle in a "should win", NO desperately needs to keep pace -- ok, settle down -- OK needs to keep pace for the Wild Card. ATL is sitting on 11 wins in a should win, and NO has 10 wins....love this time of year. really see how shiat shakes out. an ATL win and NO loss would have huge WC implics for the NFC East and North, with only 2 games left and about 4 teams with 10 wins (granted, the eagles and giants play each other today and each has 9 wins)....

Atlanta -6 At Seattle 46

ATL is the 5th best offense in teh league, and the 7th in defense (both by scoring, not yards, because pionts win games, not yards). Seattle is 24th in defense, getting popped for 25.3 per. ATL wins but for soem reason I wouldn't rule out a shiatass cover. Seattle has been death all year, with upsets when a big dog, and then getting that ass railed when they should walk. and away from Qwest, they're frighteningly bipolar. you never what Pete Carroll's crew si gonna do. I say ATL outirght but farking seattle could very well score 35 today somehow.

and on that note, take the over. ATL could have 30 by halftime and Seattle will probably hit the board pretty well today.

At Pittsburgh -4.5 NY Jets 35.5

i hope Pittsburgh destorys the Jets. Go away, Jets. It was great theater in Septembner and October, and your coach is a hoot, but this is big boy time in the season and you're clearly not ready for prime time. Please lose.

(that said i would take the under and the Jets to cover as i see this as a field goal with 3 minutes left game....)

At Oakland -7.5 Denver 42

write this day down, everyone....better yet get it tattoed over yr heart so that one day, when our grandchildren ask us where we were when President Tebow made his first NFL start, we can show tehm: 12/19/10: NEVAR FORGET

7.5 is a huge line. kinda scares me. this is either one of those 38-14 wins Denver has been prone to this season or one of their inexplicable 31 or 38 piont explosions.....I'll say the former, so Oakland outright.

At New England -14 Green Bay 43.5

Just like back in 2007 when Angry Belichick was seeing Vegas set lines of 11, 14, and 19 (I think one was in the low 20s, go look it up) and still winning outright, i'll take the Pats outright.

Please please please. Sanchez is thanking god today that Polomalu is out. If he wasn't, they'd get embarassed again and the Jets Superbowl badwagon would be in the bottom of a canyon. But the Jets will somehow keep this close ensuring more Jets in the coming weeks. F*ck.

IMO, no way that goes under. The Skelton offense showed the first signs of life in a long time last week. Now, granted, they had trouble putting the ball in the endzone, hence the epic Feelyness, but they could at least move it. Plus, the Cardinals enjoy farking up any chance they have at a decent draft pick. Both of these teams suck, but Carolina really, really sucks. Cardinals SHOULD cover easily.

rickythepenguin:Haven't done this in about a month....have been busy on Sundays and not watching many games. when i was keeping track of my picks, i wasn't doing so great....something int eh neighborhood of 25-35-2 or some shiat.

At STL -3 Kansas City 42.5

I'd say Rams outright as Cassell is prob not going to play. KC could be a thin cover as the Rams (begin the "the NFC West sucks and has no right to a playoff game, this is bullshiat! chorus) are not a great team.

and especially if Cassell doesn't play, take teh under. The Rams don't score a ton of points, prob averaging about 19-20 (a few times they've gone over 25 (they dropped 36 on the Donkos just weeks ago), but in their losses and some wins it seems like they're hovering in the mid-teens. Under.

At Ten -1.5 Houston 47.5

Houston, for no reason. who's the QB in tennesee? and so much for christ johnson chirping about a 2000 yeard season. yeah, if he can get 800 yards in the next three games....

At Indy -4.5 Jacksonville 48

wow. Can't call it Peyton's Last Stand but if Indy loses today, he'll be on a bahamas cruise in january instead of wearing cleats. Not today, Jax. I say Indy outright. they both allow lots of points but score lots of points; Indy is 4th in scoring (26.7 per game) and Jax is 12th (22.7), take th eover.

How is Cincy favored against anybody these days? oh yeah, now that i have TF, this is thread where i predicted, the day the season started as I recall, the o/u on TO's TDs as 10.5 (new window).

*checks*

oh damn, the old boy is sitting on 9! I would have takent he under.

ehh. cleveland outright.

At Miami -5 Buffalo 40

I'm gonna say Buffalo....miami's last four offensive outputs are ZER0, 33, 10, and 6. and not that Rough Buff is a juggernaut but henne has sucked like it is job to suck lateley....Rough Buff covers at least. no way the Fins win by 5.

At NYG -3 Philadelphia 47

NYG is decent at home (i have them at 5-2 but don't quoute me) so I'll say NYG outright. Vick has got to go down at some point.and after seeing some of the hits he's taken in games, either Goodell has ordered if not a Code Red, then a Code Amber on vick (and Roethlisberger). How can he consistently take shots that go unsanctioned, when Brady and some of the other QBs get protection from teh refs?

At Dallas -7 Washington 44.5

mmmmm. fun number. Washington is just awful in every facet. i wonder what the temperature of their locker room is right now. mcnabb and hayneswroth and shanahan's hamfisted assertion of power....but are they 7 worse than Dallas? I'll say Dallas wins but Wash covers. i don't see this as a 7 point game, even with Ramsey at QB.

At Tampa Bay -4.5 Detroit 43

There's no reason whatsoever for this line to be this small. Tampa will crush today.

At Baltimore -2.5 New Orleans 43.5

really tired of everyone with Brees' jock in their damn mouth, all because of that stupid picture of him holding up his son in the air farking hell "Lion King" style. I'll take Baltimore mainly because of General December, with the forecast ofr 33 and cloudy. not crazy cold but damn sure ain't no dome.

but at the same time, with ATL facing Seattle in a "should win", NO desperately needs to keep pace -- ok, settle down -- OK needs to keep pace for the Wild Card. ATL is sitting on 11 wins in a should win, and NO has 10 wins....love this time of year. really see how shiat shakes out. an ATL win and NO loss would have huge WC implics for the NFC East and North, with only 2 games left and about 4 teams with 10 wins (granted, the eagles and giants play each other today and each has 9 wins)....

Atlanta -6 At Seattle 46

ATL is the 5th best offense in teh league, and the 7th in defense (both by scoring, not yards, because pionts win games, not yards). Seattle is 24th in defense, getting popped for 25.3 per. ATL wins but for soem reason I wouldn't rul ...

It's worth noting that it's been raining heavily in the Bay Area most of the weekend and that the Oakland Coliseum is below sea level. Expect a very sloppy game in Oakland today. There's no way the Raiders lay anywhere close to the 59 on the Broncos today in this weather. I think the Raiders win but the 7.5 spread is enough to give me pause. Denver's run defense is awful though. As long as the Raiders don't fumble the ball too often, I think they cover. I'll say OAK 27, DEN 17.

My picks (using, btw, the NY Post lines, as that's what the local pool I am in uses):

Thursday: Chargers -9Eagles +3. I see this as being either a game won by a field goal in the dying seconds or an Eagles ass-whuppin'. Hopefully the former.Rams +1Texans +1.5. Garbage time touchdown last week notwithstanding, everyone say it with me now, TITANS IN FREEFALL..Jaguars +5. Jaxy gains even more respect with a close loss.Cardinals +2.5 (BB). I just can't pick Carolina, giving points away. I just farking can't.Browns +1Dolphins -5.5. This is my Survivor pick (see below).Cowboys -6. Feel the lulz. Love the lulz.Bucs -5.5.Saints +1.Falcons -7. This just in: Atlanta is good. Seattle is not nearly as good.Steelers -6. I wish I didn't have to say it again, but the team formerly known as the TITANS IN FREEFALL.Raiders -7.Patriots -10. It's almost cheating to get this line before. It's now a 14-point spread.Bears -4. One of these teams is used to playing in cold weather. The other is starting Joe Webb. The over/under on Favre mentions is, fittingly enough, 297.

Survivor note: I'm still in ESPN's Eliminator challenge, which is down to ~4000 people. But it's not been easy. Of my 14 picks, so far, four have won in overtime (including the last three times I picked against Buffalo). A total of 10 have been decided by eight points or fewer.I have Miami today, and I'm slated to use SD at Cincy next week, and probably the Jets vs Buffalo in Week 17. I still have Indianapolis to switch to if I want to, and I very well may take Indy vs Tennessee in the last week.

mjoven1975:s worth noting that it's been raining heavily in the Bay Area most of the weekend and that the Oakland Coliseum is below sea level. Expect a very sloppy game in Oakland today. There's no way the Raiders lay anywhere close to the 59 on the Broncos today in this weather. I think the Raiders win but the 7.5 spread is enough to give me pause. Denver's run defense is awful though. As long as the Raiders don't fumble the ball too often, I think they cover. I'll say OAK 27, DEN 17.

huh. i generally don't check the weather but yeah, i didn't know that. does a slog track help or hurt Tebow?

Gonz:Sigh... here's hoping for another Finnegan/Johnson fight, for entertainment purposes.

wasn't much of a fight....but yeah, i wonder how that plays out. pregame or first matchup Fins will extend a handshake and then resume his jackbaggery.

rickythepenguin:mjoven1975: s worth noting that it's been raining heavily in the Bay Area most of the weekend and that the Oakland Coliseum is below sea level. Expect a very sloppy game in Oakland today. There's no way the Raiders lay anywhere close to the 59 on the Broncos today in this weather. I think the Raiders win but the 7.5 spread is enough to give me pause. Denver's run defense is awful though. As long as the Raiders don't fumble the ball too often, I think they cover. I'll say OAK 27, DEN 17.

huh. i generally don't check the weather but yeah, i didn't know that. does a slog track help or hurt Tebow?

wasn't much of a fight....but yeah, i wonder how that plays out. pregame or first matchup Fins will extend a handshake and then resume his jackbaggery.

The Coliseum has really horrible drainage. I attended a Raider-KC game back in 2000 that was played in a driving rain on a flooded field. If the forecasts are right, we could be looking at the same conditions today. At best, the field will be extremely slippery. The latest forecast shows a brief break in the rain with it picking up sometime during the game. I still think the Raiders will cover, but if the weather gets really bad, the under might not be a bad bet.

If Pittsburgh wins they all but lock up the 2nd seed and the Jets are collapsing down the stretch, so I'm fairly optimistic that they'll take care of business. Of course, if the friggin' Ratbirds felt like helping out with a loss I wouldn't mind that either.

Klivian:mjoven1975: xaks: WITH Aaron Rodgers, the Pack had a shot at winning tonoght.

Now...third-stringer Flynn? Not so much.

Too bad it's too late to flex out that game, although NBC is probably content with a three hour Patriots circle jerk.

It's a good bet that CBS and FOX protected the 2 really tasty matchups, Eagles/Giants and Jags/Colts. Both games will have a huge impact on the playoff landscape.

The announcement of a change to the Sunday night schedule comes no later than 12 days prior to the Sunday of the game to be changed Link (new window). There's no way NBC would have wanted to flex out GB-NE 12 days ago, as Aaron Rodgers was still healthy and the matchup looked great on paper. Now it looks like another blowout for the Patriots.

Adolf Oliver Nipples:If Pittsburgh wins they all but lock up the 2nd seed and the Jets are collapsing down the stretch, so I'm fairly optimistic that they'll take care of business. Of course, if the friggin' Ratbirds felt like helping out with a loss I wouldn't mind that either.

This. The only saving grace to not having The Hair in today is that we've regressed back to the days of San-CHEZZ. Though the world would be a better place with a Saints win, too.

Sachlpch:I'm pretty sure that because of tie breakers I want Philly to win for my Packers hopes to stay alive.

/here's to seeing at least 1 manningface today

Well since GB plays NYG next week, it doesn't matter as much as you might think. If you win next week, then you'll beat either team in a tiebreaker. If you lose next week, you'll wish the Giants to be the division champs, so you can be matched up with Philly (a tiebreaker you'd win).

Awwwwwwwwww yeah, baby, look who's back. You want to talk about the Second Coming? The Sex Cannon's going to show all his Sexy Rexettes what that's all about. This ain't no virgin QB we're talking about here. Why are you surprised he's starting? Rexy's lost just as many Super Bowls as McFlabb with far prettier interceptions. Chris Cooley? Rex doesn't know who the hell that is, but he better learn to run down field or he's going to get left behind.